The Seed Potatoes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Regulations 2(2), 10(3)(b), 11(5)(g) and 21 (1)(a), (3) and (4)

SCHEDULE 3 N.I. Minimum quality conditions for lots of seed potatoes

1.  For the purposes of regulations 10 and 21— N.I.

(a) Table 1 sets out the minimum quality conditions for lots of pre-basic seed potatoes produced in Northern Ireland; and

(b) Table 2 sets out the minimum quality conditions for lots of basic seed potatoes produced in Northern Ireland.

Tolerances N.I.

2.  The tolerance set out in the entry in column 2 of Table 1 or 2 is specified, in relation to the disease, pest, damage, blemish or other defect specified in column 1 of the Table to which the entry corresponds.

Allowable Surface area cover N.I.

3.—(1) This paragraph applies, for the purposes of regulation 10(3)(b), to seed potatoes to which Table 1 or 2 applies.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), an authorised officer may deem any seed potato not to be affected by Skin Spot, Black Scurf, Powdery Scab or Common Scab if, in the officer's opinion—

(a) the surface area of the potato affected by the disease is less than the percentage surface area in the entry corresponding to the disease; and

(b) the potato has at least two eyes at the rose end wholly unaffected by the disease.

(3) Sub-paragraph (2) does not apply when the disease Powdery Scab takes its cankerous form.

Table 1

Pre-basic seed potatoes

Diseases, pests, damage and blemishes	Tolerances	Allowable surface cover (% area)
(a) Group I
(i) Wart Disease	Nil
(ii) Potato Cyst Nematode	Nil
(iii) Ring Rot	Nil
(iv) Brown Rot	Nil
(v) Potato Tuber Eelworm	Nil
(vi) PSTVd	Nil
(vii) Colorado Beetle	Nil
(viii) Dickeya	Nil
[F1 (ix) Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Liefting et al.)	nil
(x) Candidatus Phytoplasma solani (Quaglino et al.)	nil]
(b) Group II
(i) Rots (other than Ring Rot or Brown Rot)	0.2%
(ii) Black Scurf	1%	10%
(iii) Common Scab	5%	33%
(iv) Powdery Scab	1%	10%
(v) Skin Spot	0.2%
(vi) Shrivelled tubers due to excessive dehydration or dehydration caused by Silver Scurf	0.5%
(vii) External blemishes including misshapen or damaged tubers	3%
(viii) Earth and extraneous matter	1%
(ix) Total percentage of seed potatoes covered by tolerances in points (i) to (vii) in Group II	6%

Table 2

Basic seed potatoes

Diseases, pests, damage and blemishes	Tolerances	Allowable surface cover (% area)
(a) Group I
(i) Wart Disease	Nil
(ii) Potato Cyst Nematode	Nil
(iii) Ring Rot	Nil
(iv) Brown Rot	Nil
(v) Potato Tuber Eelworm	Nil
(vi) PSTVd	Nil
(vii) Colorado Beetle	Nil
(viii) Dickeya	Nil
[F1 (ix) Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Liefting et al.)	nil
(x) Candidatus Phytoplasma solani (Quaglino et al.)	nil]
(b) Group II
(i) Rots (other than Ring Rot or Brown Rot)	0.5% (of which wet rot shall not exceed 0.2%)
(ii) Black Scurf	5%	10%
(iii) Common Scab	5%	33.3%
(iv) Powdery Scab	3%	10%
(v) Skin Spot	2%	12.5%
(vi) Shrivelled tubers due to excessive dehydration or dehydration caused by Silver Scurf	1%
(vii) External blemishes including misshapen or damaged tubers	3%
(viii) Earth and extraneous matter	1%
(ix) Total percentage of seed potatoes covered by tolerances in points (i) to (vii) in Group II	6%

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Sch. 3 inserted (31.12.2020) by The Marketing of Seed Potatoes, Plant and Propagating Material Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/359), regs. 1, 4(4)